Can the DA win the Eastern Cape?
The Democratic Alliance officially launched its bid to win over the Eastern Cape this past weekend, with Athol Trollip announcing his mayoral campaign for the Nelson Mandela Bay.
Trollip will go head to head with Danny Jordaan, who was recently appointed by the ANC as mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, in next year’s local government elections.
Jordaan is also serving as president of the South African Football Association (SAFA).
According to DA Leader Mmusi Maimane, said that the people of Nelson Mandela Bay have made it very clear that they are tired of the ANC government there.
Maimane was speaking at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdanstane, Buffalo City Metro, Eastern Cape on Sunday.
He said that the DA wasn’t only targeting Port Elizabeth. “Change doesn’t end with Nelson Mandela Bay. You, the people of Buffalo City Metro, deserve the DA difference too. Our people have suffered for too long under an ANC municipality that doesn’t even pretend to care.
Maimane said that the DA is targeting places including King Williams Town, Bisho, Zwelitsha and Mdantsane, which he said could be an economic hub in the Eastern Cape.
“This Metro (Buffalo City) has great potential but we need to make sure that its industries are supported and allowed to flourish.”
The DA lead said that the Metro’s problems begin right at the top. “And we saw this very clearly when the previous Mayor and Deputy Mayor were both forced to resign after facing serious fraud charges relating to the theft of almost R6 million meant for Nelson Mandela’s memorial service”.
There is no culture of service delivery and accountability under the ANC councillors in this metro, he said.
Maimane said that under the ANC, 33% of East London Metro’s water is lost because of broken pipes and leakages.
He said that the backlog in road maintenance is over R150 million already.
“16% of Buffalo City Metro’s electricity went missing between July last year and March this year. That’s R73 million worth of electricity gone, much of which was due to izinyoka. In the last three years, 29 people here in Buffalo City Metro were killed due to these illegal connections,’ Maimane said.
“A caring and efficient local government would also not find itself being investigated for R1.2 billion in irregular expenditure, as the Buffalo City municipality is.”
Maimane said that the days of the Eastern Cape being the ANC stronghold are over.
“We’ve already pushed the ANC below 50% in Nelson Mandela Bay. And this year, the DA won the SRC elections at Fort Hare University too,” he said.
“Between the 2009 and the 2014 elections, the DA grew by 53% in the Eastern Cape Province. Here in Buffalo City Metro, over the same period, the DA grew by 59%. And, of course, in Nelson Mandela Bay Metro we shrunk the gap between the DA and the ANC down to just 8%.”
“Change is coming, and there is nothing the ANC can do to stop it.”
The DA lead said that President Jacob Zuma recently addressed a crowd in Uitenhage, in an attempt to rally support for Danny Jordaan.
“And I’d like to remind the president of what he told that crowd in June. He said, and I quote, “Nelson Mandela Bay is the home of the ANC. If it can be won by another party, even Luthuli will turn in his grave. Even us, we will have to leave South Africa.”
“Well, President Zuma, you might want to start making your arrangements to leave. Because the DA is coming for Nelson Mandela Bay, and you can’t stop us. And then we’re coming for Buffalo City and Kouga and Camdeboo and Baviaans and Emalahleni and Makana,” Maimane said.
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